Monday, March 9, 2015

I went to Baltimore Horseshoe last Saturday to try to sweep up some loose dollars from the players busting out of the WSOP ring events they were holding. I got there around 10:30 pm and found the place absolutely jammed. Side note: On my way up, I was debating between Maryland Live! and the 'Shoe, but ultimately opted for the 'Shoe because of the all day tournaments that had been ongoing. The waitlists were similar, but I figured that many people would be playing all day poker and be wanting a little retribution / blow off steam at the cash tables from their early bust outs on the multi-flight 3 day tournament. Moreover, I like the 1/3 games over the 1/2 games - it's the same players but for 50% more money on the table.

My buddy Josh was kind enough to put my name on the list (he was playing both the morning, and due to an early bust out, the afternoon flights), as the brush desk was not accepting call ins. When I got there, I tried to add my cell to my name on the list, but my name was no where to be found. I'm not sure what happened, and never was able to find out, but apparently my name had never been added. Finding the floorman that Josh originally asked to add me, he was having a tough time navigating the waitlist system, and just moved my name to the top of the list - BOOM! I instantly got a seat after talking with him - sitting at around 11:00 in the tournament conference room.

Another side note: I was not aware, but even though they only have 25 permanent tables set up in the regular poker room, the conference room has an additional 125 table capacity. The room can be used not only for tournament play but cash games as well. The list was around 100 deep, and the management opened up a bunch of cash tables in the room. Although we were stuck without comps (no machine reader) and without hand shuffle (no electricity in the floor for the temporary folding poker tables), we were at least in action.

I was seated at a brand new 1/3 table which never really seemed to stay at capacity. We started with 6-7 players, getting to 10, but wavering around 8 players at any given time. It was an interesting crowd: 1 very serious player who I did not want to mess with, a drunk, a decently hot girl with a banging body (complete with low cut tshirt and great boobs - it's nice to be young!), and a maniac who was raising every hand to $6 when it limped to him, potting every street and taking it down by the turn. Everyone's suspicious eye was on the maniac, FWIW.

I had gotten into a hand with maniac early on, when I uncharacteristically open limped A9o, called a $6 raise PF with a host of callers, saw an A high flop, calling a $25 flop bet but folding to a $75 turn bet (what is it they say about insanity - expecting different results while doing the same thing over & over?). I can't tell you why I called the flop bet or the PF raise in the first place if I wasn't prepared to call off the turn and expected river shove, but I did it. Stupid me. I learn from my mistake.

Finally, the hand in question: I have KQo in late position with no limpers. I raise to $12 as first in. SB calls and so does Mr. Maniac in the BB. Flop comes 2c 7c Q. I have the Kc, FYI. I bet $25 into $36 pot and the SB folds. Mr. Maniac check / raises to $75 and I think for a bit - shove, fold or just call. He's been crazy, but hasn't check / raised yet, although we've been playing ~30 minutes. He can easily be c/ring the club draw, but I think he has a far wider range that he could do this. I don't want to let him off the hook by shoving only to have him fold. Moreover, I think no matter the next card, given the time I've taken to make my decision, he's auto-shoving. I'm prepared to call off stacks (which is about $130 or so behind), and if a club turns, unless he had me at the get-go (AcQ which I would have thought he would PF 3bet), I have to be good and I have the backdoor club draw.

The turn comes 9c (puke) and he, as expected, shoves his remaining $130 or so. I think for a bit, sickened by the club, but begrudgingly call. He nods his head that I'm good, but for finer measure, a club drops the river and hit my K high flush to his Q8hh. I've never seen a guy make an exit for the door so fast as this guy...

I started thinking about how he played, and whether it would be profitable in a more selective way. He raises to $6 which gets everyone & their mothers calling. The pot is decently large by the flop with these little $6 raises, and potting every street can make some decent money given scared money from the other players. I think the problem with that strategy is twofold, though: once you showdown a weak hand / bluff, you're never getting credit again, and once you slow down because you think your opponent isn't going away, your opponent should bet you off the hand and you've now opened yourself up for constantly being bluffed off hands.

21 comments:

the $1-3 isnt the same players as $1-2 at all. its usually the serious grinders and the $1-2 is more those just wishing to risk losing the minimum

i heard the reason u now enjoy playing at the shoe is because u heard a certain attorny who writes a blog prefers it to md live, and u know he is the type of fish u can easily beat, and u are persuaded u can arrange it so he plays at ur table.

>>>a drunk, a decently hot girl with a banging body (complete with low cut tshirt and great boobs - it's nice to be young!),<<<

I found such gratuitous mentions of female body parts to be offensive, especially in a serious poker blog. I am shocked and disappointed.

Nice hand history and nice score. You always worry when you try to abuse a maniac that that is the one hand he actually has it.

Interesting that they would set up cash tables without be able to track comps. I guess there were too many to try to do it manually? I guess it's like the Rio during the WSOP....no comps if you play cash games in the WSOP area, only if you play in the small Rio poker room on the other side of the casino.

Sorry sir - I meant no offense! In writing this entry, I was concerned about what you, of all people, would think about the gratuitous mentions about boobage... Please, sir, I beg of you, do not think any less of me :-)

Hmm, another hand where you called off an entire buyin at a cash game with top pair Queens, and a King kicker. For an entire stack.

And wow! You were right again!

You are a mcpoker mcmonkey mcmomo of the highest order. I've seen you play for maybe 6 or 7 sessions live, and you always end up down at LEAST two buyins. But then, that's real life. This blog is the fantasy world you want others to believe you live in.

Ummm... yeah... great comments, Anonymous. Now you're saying that you've seen me play 6-7 live sessions - hmmm... never identified yourself... you're so intriguing with your awesome poker advice and illusive anonymous moniker! I sure wish you kept a blog so I could troll you! Weird thing is that you must be talking about 6-7 sessions over the past two years, because unless you're following me to FL, CO & NV, I haven't had 6-7 losing sessions over the past year on the east coast... but keep up the good work & the good comments... oh yeah, and say hi to me when you see me during one of my epic losing (or winning - shocker) sessions!

Right, it must take you decades to amass 6 losing sessions. All it takes is a little bit of pushback on the obvious lies, and you fold like a cheap tent.

And yes, I have sat with you at Charlestown multiple times, and watched you / sat with you at both Md Live and Horseshoe BMore. Never seen you win, or even have a session without multiple laughably bad plays. You are a living joke.

You're no doubt a clever, intelligent person! In this case, you surely must be mistaken (as usual)! If you've sat with me at Bmore, then you'd surely know I walked away a winner both times I've played there! LOL! I'll let it go though - your mistake that is... Also, FYI, since you've just discredited yourself by lying, I am auto-deleting your future posts. See below for my 2 session results from Horseshoe:

I know you're a bit slow at the maths and stuff.... so I'll sum it up for you:Total winnings: $889.00Total seat time: 9.25 hours$/hour average: $96.11

Not enough to quit my day job, but certainly a lot more than the losing sessions you seem to claim I have... Oh well - if you want me to respond to you in the future, you can leave your email in the comments (because I will not post them) or just email me yourself directly: ThePokerMeisterTPM@gmail.com.

I figure to close out the bluffs and potentially weaker Queens when I raise all-in on the c/r. I figured I have position to shove any and all turns regardless. Therefore, I opted to just call rather than shove.